Improvement in feeding device foe sewing machine



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JOHN HANLON, OF BR'ID-GEPORT, CONECTIGUT. Lettes'Patent Nb. 60,888,4'dted January 1, ISG?,

IMPEOVEMENI IN EEEDING DEVICE EOE. SEWING MACHINE.

TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN: 4

Beit known that I, JOHN HANLON, of Bridgeport, in the county of Fairfield, and .State of Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Improvement in' Sewing Machines; .and I do hereby declarethat the following is a full, clear, and exact -description of my invention, referenceI being had tothe accompanying drawing, forming part of this speciiication', in which- Figure 1 lisfan elevation -of my improvement. Figure 2 is a vertical section in the line :v of fig. I'. Figure 3 is an elevation of the apparatus, without the plate or cap I and the lever K. The object of this invention is to simplify and improve the feed of sewingmachines. y The letter A designates a frame for supporting such a machine. 'Y Through one of the rails'of the 4frame is passed a bolt, B, whichv is secured on' the outside by a nut,'B',. The part, b, ofthe bolt is `made-square so las te prevent the bolt from turning inthe rail, and, if desired, the part a of the rail may befcut away so as to allow the bolt and its head, C, t0 be adjusted to a higher or lower position in the frame at pleasure. The head, C, of thevbolt is enlarged suihciently to Areceive and carry the feeding device, hereinafter described, which is placed therein in a cross-groove composed by cutting-:a horizontal groove, M, in said head, also a perpendicular groove, M', the latter intersecting the other at right angle-s, as shown in the drawing.. These grooves have square sides andv receivel a slotted T-frame, or cross," composed of the horizontal part D and the perpendicular part the part C being fitted nicely, but not so as to bind in-thehorizontal groove, and the part D lbeing considerably narrower than the perpendicular groove. The'nsaid-frame or crossY DD may be cast in one piece. Its thickness is equal to the depth of the cross-groove M M', and it is confined in'said cross-groove by the cap or plate I, whichis secured to the headbyv set-,screws that pass through vertical slots J J which. ext'end'from about the middle of the cap through its upper edge. By extending the slotsthroughthe upper edge,the cap is permitted to fall away from the head C and expose the feeding device, whenever the screws are sufficiently slackenedl The perpendicularpart, D', of the slotted T-frame or cross'h'asl a slot origroove with straightsides that extend through its whole length and receives a sliding feedbar, E, whose ,upper end or top, F, is enlarged so as 'to extend over the sides of said groove in the part D. The top F is that part of the feeding device which comes in contact with the' material to be fed along in the operation of sewing. The front of the feed bar E is -iiush or even withI the front of the part D', and the lower end or bottom of the bar extends far enough below the end of said part D', or of the bolt-head, to allow the spring G to be attached Ato it, the other end of the spring being fastened to a leg or other convenient part of lthe frame of the-machine in such a position as toA retract the feeding device after -a` forward movement has taken place. The forward movement of the device to effect the feed of the material may lbe accomplished by'any suitable means, as, for instance, by' a wiper on the main shaft, which shall hrst raise the feed bar and then impelthe slotted T-'rame or cross, which carries it, .in a horizontal direction, and for this purpose thelower parts of the. apparatus may be modified in. shape so as to bring them in to convenient positions for the actionof such wiper. In this example I accomplish the move. ment` of the several parts of the feeding device by means. of a'lever, K, that is hinged to the rear of the 4slotted `Tframeor cross,/ by placing its rounded end ina socket, L, formed therein, thelever being :then bent downwards so as to pass below thebolt-head and directly under the feed bar, E, which when in its lowest position rests npon or comes very near to it. The forward end of the lever is bent downwards over a shaft, N, which is provided with two cams, oneof which, P, serves to raise the lever, thereby lifting'the fee-d bar E, and the other, O, to move thelever in a horizontal direction, thereby moving the feeding' device forward towards the rightl The rhinged end of the lever is in this example made round by bending its extremity. into a circular form whose diameter is .such that the socket L will receive such rounded end when pushed in from thefront'; in order to' place it in the socket the cap I is removed. When the c ap is 'replaced the lever is kept in place bythe cap, thel construction of the parts vbeing such thatthe greatest 'backward movement allowed to the slotted T-frame or cross will, not take the joint whollybeyond the cap. When the shaft N is turned the cam P will raise lthe lever K, causing it to turnonits hinge/until th'eleft-hand end of the lever comes snugly againstV the adjacent end 2 of the cross, the feed bar E being meanwhile raised by the lifting of the lever. The continued `rotation of the shaft ybrings the cam -O against the right-hand end Aof the lever where it isbent down overt-he Y eases shaft, the-saidend being curved to allow the lever to remain the longer Vin contact with theeam, thereby enabling the cam to actuatek the lever until it has passed below a horizontal plane going through the axisof shaft N. l The swell of the cam PT is made broad enough to keep thelever elevated during theltime in vwhicli the cam O is imparting: the forward movement, when i't suddenly falls away and allows the lever to drop. At'the time, thelever isallowed to drop, thecam O will have ceased to act on the vertical end of the lever, and the spring is consequently permitted both to draw the feed bar downwards and to retract the cross or frame DIDI",v

which carries said bar The width ofthe upright groove M is greater than the width of the perpendicular portion, D., of the slotted T-frame or c1-oss, so as to allow it to have a horizontal or forward movement of sufficient extent for producingior effecting the operation of moving the material institching or sewing, the', deg-ree of which movement is determined by the set-screw H whose end is projected more oivless into the groove, according to the feed required. It will be observed that by this feeding' device I am enabled toobtain the desired up and down and forward and 4backward movements with. uniformity and4 steadiness, and With'little liability to inequality of wear, while theremoval of the cap or plate I enables one to inspect 'the condition of the cross or slotted Tframe D and its appurtenances, and'to apply oil thereto with ease and Without interfering with the adjustmentof the apparatus. The bolt and bolt-head by-which the feeding device is supported are arraiiged so as to be independent of the rest of the mcchanisrn'o'f the machine,"being held in or to the frame thereof in an independent manner, as is shown in the drawing; 4

Having thus described my invention', what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-- 1. The slotted -'l'frame -or cross, D D,.so constructed and arranged as to contain within its vertical vslot the feed bar E, substantially as described. .A l

v 2. I also claim the use of thebolt-headC, grooved substantially as shown to receive the cross or slotted TframeD D, substantially as described.

3. I alsoclaim the combination of the slotted T-frame orcross, D D', with the feed bar E, when the body of the latter -is contained within the former, substantially as described. y y

4. I also claim hinging the lev-ei` K to the cross" or slotted T-frame D D', substantially in the manner above described. I

5.. I also Aclaim combining the lever K hinged to the slotted T-vframe or -cross', as above shown, with the feed bar E, substantially as described.

6. I also claim combining the i cross" D D', the'feed bar E, and the'lever K, which communicates motion to botli'the slotted 1'frameror cross and the feed bar, substantially as described. l

In'witness whereof I- have hereunto setmy hand this third day of October, 1866. v

I I JOHN HANLON. Witnesses:

A. PUNETT,

QL. M. SLADE. 

